After much shopping around, reading reviews, and checking up on manufacturers, I honestly took a well informed leap and purchased this unit. This is was one of the best decisions I could have made. I love this thing; after purchasing one for myself, I realized this is the best unit to also put in my shop.
The unit heats and cools rapidly and is accurate in it's temperature readings.The construction of the unit is something that has been complained about around the net, I had absolutely no issue with the quality of the construction. The station itself is a bit smaller and lighter than I did expect, but it's not absurdly small and weighs more than enough to remain in place and not accidentally bump or slide around. The iron itself has a great feel in the shape and is of sound construction. It was also lighter than I expected, but this is not an issue and it does help with longer sessions, which are more practical with a solder station than a direct plug unit. Changing the tip is easy and with the rapid cool down, far more practical.
The controls work well. I have not tested some of the more in depth functionality, but at least as far as turning on setting temperature if needed, the unit does remember your last temperature, it works great. I wanted something where I can set temperature and get working not fiddle with menus, and this does exactly that.
I have no real issues with the iron holder. The design is simple and functional. The unit I purchased holds the pencil without touching the hot tip of the iron. I attached the spool reel and sponge tray, which screw together with just a couple of screws. A few reviewers I found complained that this seemed cheap and of poor quality. I can attest that nothing here felt cheap. The iron holder is a simple, functional device - it's not "wow amazing", but it does serve it's purpose. The spool reel and sponge tray do not need to be attached to the iron holder if you don't want. The sponge IS very thin and practically unusable however. I wasn't bothered by this as I prefer to not use a sponge, a brass wire tip cleaner is recommended for any iron. Eventually the sponge will wear out at some point another anyway and considering this I see the inclusion of a sponge as somewhat complementary in most cases - others will disagree, but that shouldn't be a buying point.
The unit also came with several tips. I have yet to test them all, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I have tested. Included is also a replacement tip for the what's on the iron now, some might view that as a pro or a con. Aoyue sells other tips in addition to what's included if something more specific is required. Some users appear to have tested Hakko tips, I have yet to try this and it's doubtful I will.
I would recommend this product to anyone, especially hobbyists or anyone looking to upgrade from a direct plug in iron. I was blown away by this station, expecting for this to be a decent enough mid point but it really holds up well to some serious electronics works.
| Included Components | 2660 Soldering Iron Stand, Power cord, 10 soldering tips(1 installed in the iron), Aoyue 9378 Station, User manual |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Aoyue |
| Part Number | 9378 |
| Item Weight | 6 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 11 x 5 x 9 inches |
| Item model number | 9378 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Soldering Iron |
| Style | 9378 Station |
| Material | Ceramic |
| Power Source | AC/DC |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
